OP
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
Guess that's ok. At least it's not something to be worried about.
Does anybody buy bulk feed?
- Thread starter EddieWalker
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I just plugged it into the search engine, and that's what came up. Hopefully I didn't invoke the curse of some old Welsh witch.
GeneV
Elite Member
Yup, says sign in or register, comrade.
GeneV
Elite Member
Nah, Baba Yaga, the bane of all little boys and girls in the eastern lands.
ponytug
Super Member
If you do go the bulk route; I have worked in feed rooms that had the bulk loaded outside and delivered through easily controlled chutes / tubes that made mixing and portioning easy. I would think through the last few inches as it were to make it as easy as possible.
(I am assuming that you aren't thinking of using mechanized feeders to deliver feed out to the animals automatically.)
All the best,
Peter
(I am assuming that you aren't thinking of using mechanized feeders to deliver feed out to the animals automatically.)
All the best,
Peter
sea2summit
Elite Member
Local bulk place just sent out a notice to existing customers to call before you come for a pick up to make sure the feed you want is available. Apparently there are some supply issues for them now. Dang it.
That's my biggest concern about raising livestock this summer; being able to buy feed. Suppliers are understandably going to take care of their big consumers first; the piddling 200 lbs/week customers like me are barely a drop in their radar.
OP
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
I've considered it, but I keep worrying that I'll over complicate it, and come up with something that cost a lot of money, but didn't make life any easier. Especially if I have to work on it to keep it working.
My goal is to have a silo of sorts inside the barn so we can put a bucket under it. Probably one for chickens, and one for goats/horses/cattle. We don't have any steers yet, but we would like to butcher a few every year for ourselves. Horses and goats eat the same feed now, so I know that works well. I'm not sure about cows?
My theory/plan is to build the silos out of plywood, seal them, and have them along the wall so they are out of the way, but easy to access. I want an auger so I can fill the silos from the bulk feed sack.
Currently, I'm buying 40 pound sacks every week and carrying them from the back of my truck to my feed room. Then we open a sack and scoop the feed out of it. This seems very wasteful and time consuming every time I do it. My goal is to save money and create a more efficient, easier, way to feed every day.
Dragonpharm
Bronze Member
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I don't have enough animals to buy in bulk but the prices at TSC are getting a bit high. Everywhere else is too. Starting to tire of feeding the wife's "ladys" AKA chickens since they presently haven't laid eggs in quite a while. Not really sure why we need almost 40 chickens and 16 ducks that don't do much other than eat and make a mess. With the birds and equines a TSC feed trip is $150. Make that trip so often I notice if they get a new employee, lol.
ponytug
Super Member
+1 on efficiency in daily tasks. If it were me, I would think about lining any bin with either UHMWPE, or sheet metal. You don't want feed to stick, and you want it to be easy to clean. There are just too many ways for feed to get damp, or dusty, or infested, and then you have caking, and big deposits of feed stuck to the sides. If you know that you will be getting feed in bulk AG 1,000lb sacks, many of the ones that I have worked with are designed to be lifted by the corners and emptied out the bottom (dump bottoms). If your feed suppliers uses those, I would think about putting in a winch to lift the sack and dump it in your bin.
All the best,
Peter
All the best,
Peter
